It could have taken
much longer, if the Canadian government hadn't already spent millions
in 1986 gutting the ship and upgrading and replacing wiring, electronics,
gensets, and the 2,000-hp Ruston diesel engines (housed in an utterly
cavernous space). The government also turned over plenty of spare parts.
(If one doesn't exist, it can be made--onboard: The vessel
has a fully operational fabrication shop, complete with milling machine
and a welding system.) Of course, Gemino's team did need to remove
a good deal of materials, to the tune of about 350 tons, comprised mostly
of unneccessary towing winches and other equipment, as well as some bulkheads.

Almost the exact same
weight in stone, brick, cement, and furnishings began going back into
the vessel once the rooms started taking shape. The most dramatic example:
the saloon. Gemino calls the sole's design "brick art,"
comprised of hundreds of bricks juxtaposed in artistic arcs. Taking center
stage is a massive, 14-ton stone fireplace, adorned with the halves of
a cannon and a cluster of cannonballs. (For stability, Gemino says, each
stone was drilled, then a steel rod was epoxied to it, and the rod was
in turn welded to a base.) A commissioned painting of Roberts himself
hangs above it all.

But that's not
the end of the saloon's features; after all, the room measures 65
by 30 feet. Throw rugs spread aft conceal an inlaid wood dance floor.
A curved bar aft to starboard features a glass-topped "ocean floor"
design, with a handful of doubloons, a pistol, and a jeweled cross (Black
Bart's, perhaps?) scattered across sand.

Unlike most large yachts--converted
craft and new-builds alike--Bart Roberts doesn't have
a bulkhead dividing the saloon from the formal dining room. But she does
have something no other vessel can lay claim to: a 400-gallon piranha
tank acting as a formidable and scenic separator. Gemino liked the idea
of having a fish tank onboard, "but not fruity little goldfish."
The fish swim around a custom-designed, faux-rusted bollard. Banish all
fear of the piranhas getting loose--Gemino says the top of the tank
can be sealed for transit in rough seas, yet the tank itself remains aerated
for the fish's health.

The health of guests
is certainly attended to, as there is a combination spa/hospital room
onboard and ten ample staterooms to relax in, spread over two decks. Anyone
with fond memories of, say, The Pirates of Penzance will certainly feel
like the famed Pirate King, as each room is named after a pirate and contains
both a custom portrait of him or her (yes, there were famous female pirates)
and an accompanying brief biography. Karen Bamford, the interior designer,
did a lot of research to make each guest feel like a robber baron/baroness.
The four staterooms on level three are named for: Capt. Kidd, a privateer-cum-pirate
whose dead body was dipped in tar and hung in chains as a warning to would-be
pirates; Anne Bonny, an Irish lass who left her husband to plunder alongside
John "Calico Jack" Rackham; Howell Davis, Black Bart's
mentor; and Samuel Bellamy, one of the most active freebooters.

The remaining five staterooms,
on level five, are named for John Rackham, known as "Calico Jack"
due to his printed coats and pants; John Avery, one of Britain's
most famous pirates and who taxed any ship that wanted to pass his blockade;
Henry Morgan, a reknown privateer who later became Deputy Governor of
Jamaica; Mary Read, who lived her life disguised as a boy and joined John
Rackham's crew; and Blackbeard, one of the most feared pirates,
named for the mass of black hair that nearly covered his entire face.

In fact, it's
Blackbeard's cabin that Gemino says his guests fight over. No wonder--the
bed is outfitted in black leather, and in the portrait, Blackbeard points
a pistol that eerily seems to follow you no matter where you stand.

Of course, not everything
about Bart Roberts evokes the days of yore. Plenty of modern-day
attractions are spread over the abundance of exterior areas. The biggest
(and we mean that literally) is the foredeck, which contains an 18-passenger,
50-foot catamaran, a 38-foot aluminum landing craft, a crane to launch
them, plus a hidden swimming pool. The landing craft has a full bath and
shower, so it can be used as an ideal getaway vessel if Bart Roberts
heads to the islands on a charter; it's equipped with twin 350-hp
engines and, Gemino says, can even push the yacht if a tricky situation
arises.

But the way the pool
is put into place is even more remarkable. When it's not in use,
it's stowed in a steel frame on rollers in a huge hold below the
foredeck (the rollers permit it to be flushed to one side if more large
items need storing). When guests want to use the pool, a giant hatch between
the toys first lifts up with the aid of the crane and stows away by sliding
into rails on the foredeck. Then the ten- by 20-foot pool raises up to
the deck and locks into place with pins, and Bart Roberts'
watermakers fill `er up.

To look at the aft deck,
you'd never know that it used to be home to a giant towing winch.
The spot previously occupied by the winch is now an alfresco dining area,
fully shaded by the helideck created one level up. (The helideck is additionally
supported by four stanchions that were installed aft of the dining table.)
Surround Sound speakers are cleverly concealed within the wood-slatted
ceiling above the dining table, as are vents to permit the ten-ton air-conditioning
system to make the area comfortable.

Beyond all of this,
Bart Roberts benefits from a few noteworthy technical features.
For example, in the pilothouse there's a sunken room--the size
of a guest stateroom on many yachts--aft to port for just the telephone
wires. A helicopter hanger on the upper deck that's both air-conditioned
and heated telescopes out electrically to cover a long-range Bell Ranger.
A 5,000-gallon refueling station (nonoperational at present) is located
here as well, as is a foam-based firefighting system. And finally, all
exterior deck areas are monitored via a closed-circuit television contained
in a small security office forward to port of the saloon. It's also
in close proximity to the gangway for monitoring. If the yacht does charter,
Gemino says it will be manned 24 hours a day.

That won't be
hard to do, considering Bart Roberts accommodates a crew of 18
in the forepeak (previously home to five D.C. winches) and six additional
officers, including the captain, aft of the wheelhouse. The six officers
have individual suites, while the forepeak contains traditional crew staterooms
and two large dorm-style bathrooms (one for men, one for women).

Judging from charter
inquiries Gemino and Camper & Nicholson (which also has the yacht
for sale) have received, Bart Roberts won't meet the same
fate as her nefarious namesake. In February 1722 a Royal Navy warship
caught Roberts' fleet at Parrot Island, located off the Guinea coast,
and one of the first broadsides killed him. Before the crew were captured
by the Navy, they threw his body overboard, following his wishes--fancy
clothes, jewels, and all. His corpse was never found.